DODGE CITY – Frightened by raids last year at six Swift & Co. plants, illegal immigrants in the nation’s meatpacking towns are preparing for their possible arrest.

…the United Food and Commercial Workers union has printed a bilingual immigration rights kit it plans to distribute nationwide to workers in the coming weeks. The kit includes practical information, legal documents and sample letters.

“We want to make sure they (immigration officials) don’t take advantage of our people,” said Martin Rosas, secretary-treasurer for UFCW in Dodge City.

Among those making preparations since attending a workshop is the family of a 43-year-old man who works under a false identity at the National Beef plant in Liberal. Two of his four children, ranging in age from 4 to 18, were born in the United States, where he has lived on an off for 21 years. [emphasis added]

His wife, a 39-year-old illegal immigrant, asked not to be identified for fear the family would be arrested. The family is writing documents so her brother, a legal resident, would have custody of the children if the parents are deported. They have put their few possessions in another person’s name and are trying to save what little money they can.

Rosas said UFCW’s bilingual kit will explain workers’ rights and offer practical advice for dealing with immigration problems. Among the documents in the kit are sample letters immigrants can use to better respond to the federal government’s inquiries about problems with Social Security numbers. [emphasis added]

[Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson] said illegal immigrants sometimes steal identities to get past the government’s “Basic Pilot” program, which screens Social Security numbers to make sure they’re real and that they match up with the person’s name.

Don Stull, a University of Kansas anthropology professor and industry expert, said it’s estimated about 25 percent of people working at the nation’s meatpacking plants are in the country illegally. In the Swift raids, about 10 percent of the company’s work force was arrested.

Two points:

It is nice to know that the UCFW is concerned that immigration officials don’t take advantage of their people. Too bad that concern isn’t extended to those who have been taken advantage of by ‘their people’ (whether it be stolen identities of their children or increased insurance costs etc).

I would very much like to know the details and see the suggested responses illegal immigrants are supposed to give to law enforcement regarding “problems with social security numbers”. Further, I would hope that the information would not assist other identity thieves (such as fugitives) on how to evade further scrutiny by law enforcement.